Rat Trap
Rat Trap is the modern alias of Rat, an ancient archdemon who has tormented the good ponies, deer, and yaks of Equestria since the dawn of civilization. His true form is that of a massive vulture with the horns of a hartebeest and the face of a monstrous rodent. He is a mad creature who specializes in hypnosis and corruption. Rat is the eldest of the three Sons of Spider. Origin Rat was the first fiend begotten by Spider, an immensely powerful demon lord who swore to destroy the Tree of Harmony and plunge the world into eternal darkness and chaos. Spider and Sons struck at the Tree with every evil power at their command, but the original demon himself was miraculously struck down by the tree and bound to a mortal form. Rat is believed to have fled with his father after this disastrous defeat. Rat's next documented appearance was many years later during the reign of Princess Celestia. His only goal appears to have been destabilizing relations between yaks and ponies. By unknown means, allegedly by saving the life of the prince's young son, he managed to secure residence within the royal palace of Yakyakistan under the guise of a greasy stallion whom the yaks referred to as the Mad Monk. Rat used his influence to choreograph a ballet for the Bullshoi Theatre titled La Filly mal Gardée, which required that the yak dancers pretend to be ponies in an outrageous performance meant to incense the populace. With the theatre accused of ponywashing, the Mad Monk smugly retreated to the palace while the yaks voiced their disgust and convinced themselves that their government was corrupt. The monk gave Equestrian bits to the pony who documented this disaster in plain view of the palace guards before marching off to the local tavern, further cementing the idea of a yak government ruled by a corrupt pony. This, compounded with the rumors of the Gulag he founded, finally incited violence against the regime. When Princess Celestia paid the disgruntled yak nation a visit, rioters stormed the palace and ousted her from the city. The Mad Monk vanished, and Yakyakistan closed its border to ponies: just as planned. He appeared again many years later, now under the name of Rat Trap, attempting to deceive and kill the mysterious Mare Do Well. When she succeeded in banishing Equestria's otherworldly relics in spite of his interference, he retreated to Mt. Everhoof to set up a stronghold around one last "anchor" called the Ice Beacon. Rat easily routed the Mare Do Well, Phantomenia, and Inari when they first raided the summit. Only through some considerable regrouping and some extensive help from the Justice League of Equestria was the mystery mare able to defeat the fiend. Personality Rat Trap is a monster. He is an enemy of all that is good and orderly, and there is little more to his ambitions than destroying anything that is either or both. King Aspen refers to him as a "textbook sociopath." However, in spite of his horrible personality, Rat Trap displays absolute obedience to his father and creator. He fears and bows to all things related to Spider, and he shares Spider's undying contempt for the Tree of Harmony. Relationships Spider Rat is entirely subservient to Spider. Although Spider addresses his firstborn in such endearing terms as "my child" and offers some comforting words upon witnessing his defeat, there is no shortage of bitterness between them. Spider only tolerates failure so that Rat may learn from his errors and aspire to even greater strength, and his very presence causes his son no small amount of physical distress. Although he remains silent when his father bids him to hold his tongue, Rat does not appreciate being told to "cease his whining." Mare Do Well Despite having no knowledge of the mystery mare's identity until their final battle, Rat trained himself to despise the Mare Do Well with every fiber of his being. He failed to figure out that she was an agent of the Tree of Harmony, but he still did everything in his power to destroy her and her friends. The Mare Do Well herself simply sees Rat Trap as another threat to Equestria that had to be stopped. Inari and Phantomenia Rat Trap has a special disdain for Inari, since she has apparently spared the Mare Do Well his hypnosis on multiple occasions. In truth, most of these happenings are attributable to Phantomenia instead. Power Ponies Rat wishes ill upon the Power Ponies for being short-lived mortals and for aiding the Mare Do Well in her assault on his stronghold. He believes they are nothing more than backup for her. Category:Villain